Method to assign upstream timeslots and codes to a network terminal and medium access controller to perform such a method
First Claim
1. A method to assign upstream timeslots and codes to a network terminal of a plurality of network terminals in a communications network comprising a central station coupled to said plurality of network terminals via the cascade connection of a common transmission channel and respective individual network terminal channels, said network terminals transmitting upstream data packets to said central station in a time multiplexed way over said common transmission channel using said upstream time slots, and said communications network further comprising a medium access controller, said method comprises:
- assigning at least one code of a plurality of codes available within said communications network for encoding said upstream data packets to be transmitted by said network terminals for inclusion within a network terminal grant assigned to said network terminal, determining an activity parameter related to the load within said network, determining a delay parameter related to delay sensitive connections within said communications network, determining physical interference parameters related to degrees of synchronization between said network terminals and said individual network terminal channels of said communications network, selecting one of a plurality of code allocation procedures for generating said network terminal grant, the selection being based upon the value of said activity parameter and the value of said delay parameter and said physical interference parameters between said network terminals and said individual network terminal channels of said communications network, generating a network terminal grant, wherein said network terminal grant is generated by said medium access controller and said network terminal grant assigns said upstream time slots to one of said network terminals, and upon receipt of said network terminal grant, said network terminal will encode upstream data packets within said network terminal with said at least one code prior to upstream transmission of said upstream data packets of said network terminal to said central station.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method to assign upstream timeslots and codes to a network terminal in a point to multipoint communications network includes assigning at least one code to the network terminal for inclusion within a network terminal grant assigning upstream timeslots to the network terminal. A medium access controller performs the method for assigning upstream timeslots and codes. The network terminal is adapted to extract codes from the network terminal grant, and to encode upstream data packets with codes before the upstream transmission of the encoded data packets, upon receipt of this network terminal grant.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method to assign upstream timeslots and codes to a network terminal of a plurality of network terminals in a communications network comprising a central station coupled to said plurality of network terminals via the cascade connection of a common transmission channel and respective individual network terminal channels, said network terminals transmitting upstream data packets to said central station in a time multiplexed way over said common transmission channel using said upstream time slots, and said communications network further comprising a medium access controller, said method comprises:
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assigning at least one code of a plurality of codes available within said communications network for encoding said upstream data packets to be transmitted by said network terminals for inclusion within a network terminal grant assigned to said network terminal, determining an activity parameter related to the load within said network, determining a delay parameter related to delay sensitive connections within said communications network, determining physical interference parameters related to degrees of synchronization between said network terminals and said individual network terminal channels of said communications network, selecting one of a plurality of code allocation procedures for generating said network terminal grant, the selection being based upon the value of said activity parameter and the value of said delay parameter and said physical interference parameters between said network terminals and said individual network terminal channels of said communications network, generating a network terminal grant, wherein said network terminal grant is generated by said medium access controller and said network terminal grant assigns said upstream time slots to one of said network terminals, and upon receipt of said network terminal grant, said network terminal will encode upstream data packets within said network terminal with said at least one code prior to upstream transmission of said upstream data packets of said network terminal to said central station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
said at least one code is assigned to at least one of said storage queues, whereby, upon receipt of said network terminal grant, said network terminal will encode data packets from said at least one of said storage queues with said at least one code prior to upstream transmission of said data packets from said at least one of said storage queues to said central station.
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11. A medium access controller for use in a communications network wherein a central station is coupled to a plurality of network terminals via a cascade connection of a common transmission channel and respective individual network terminal channels and said network terminals transmit upstream data packets to said central station in a time multiplexed way over said common transmission channel using upstream time slots, said medium access controller generating network terminal grants for assigning said upstream timeslots to said network terminals and to transmit said network terminal grants to said network terminals, wherein said medium access controller assigns at least one code of a plurality of codes available within said communications network for encoding upstream data packets to be transmitted by said network terminals to a network terminal and to include said at least one code into a network terminal grant assigned to said network terminal and generated by said medium access controller, said medium access controller comprising:
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physical constraint means adapted to determine physical interference parameters related to degrees of synchronization between said network terminals and said respective individual network terminal channels of said communications network, load monitoring means for determining an activity parameter related to the load within said network, said medium access controller generating said network terminal grant based upon said activity parameter, and jitter determining means adapted to determine a delay parameter related to delay sensitive connections within said communications network, said medium access controller being adapted to generate said network terminal grant based on said delay parameter and said activity parameter. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A medium access controller for use in a communications network wherein a central station is coupled to a plurality of network terminals via a cascade connection of a common transmission channel and respective individual network terminal channels and said network terminals transmit upstream data packets to said central station in a time multiplexed way over said common transmission channel using upstream time slots, said medium access controller generating network terminal grants for assigning said upstream timeslots to said network terminals and to transmit said network terminal grants to said network terminals, wherein said medium access controller assigns at least one code of a plurality of codes available within said communications network for encoding upstream data packets to be transmitted by said network terminals to a network terminal and to include said at least one code into a network terminal grant assigned to said network terminal and generated by said medium access controller, said medium access controller comprising:
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physical constraint means adapted to determine physical interference parameters related to degrees of synchronization between said network terminals and said respective individual network terminal channels of said communications network, load monitoring means for determining an activity parameter related to the load within said network, said medium access controller generating said network terminal grant based upon said activity parameter a plurality of code allocation means, and a selection means, said selection means determining which one of said plurality of code allocation means will be activated for determining said network terminal grant. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A network terminal for use in a communications network wherein a central station is coupled to a plurality of network terminals including said network terminal, via the cascade connection of a common transmission channel and respective individual network terminal channels, said network terminal comprising:
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extraction means for detecting an associated network terminal grant and extract at least one code within a downstream bitstream of network terminal grants transmitted from a medium access controller included in said communications network, to said network terminals, said network terminal transmitting upstream data packets to said central station upon detection of said associated network terminal grant, said associated network terminal grant being based upon a selected one of a plurality of code allocation procedures for the determination of said associated network terminal grant, the selection of the code allocation procedure being based upon the value of an activity parameter related to the load within said network, the value of a delay parameter related to delay sensitive connections within said network and physical interference parameters related to degrees of synchronization between said network terminals and said individual network terminal channels of said network, and encoding means for encoding said upstream data packets with said at least one code prior to transmitting said upstream data packets to said central station. - View Dependent Claims (23)
said extraction means determining from said at least one code said at least one storage queue to which said at least one code is assigned, and said encoding means for encoding upstream data packets from said at least one storage queue prior to before transmitting said upstream data packets from said at least one storage queue to said station.
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Specification